Web-fed gravure press



April 26, 1932. C, J. MaCARTHUR wEB FED GRAVURE PREss Filed July 19, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l TT'oRNEY's April 26, 1932. J. MacARTHuR WEB FED GRAVURE PRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1930 y,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 26, .19.32

TES-

PATE

NT "ori-"ICE i 03m J'. MAGARTHUR, OF GLEN RIDGE, JERSEY wrm-FED GRAVURE PRESS Application led July i9, 19V-30. Serial No. 469,081.

This application is a continuation in4 part of my application filed July 5, 1929, Serial No. 376,030. n

The present invention relates in general to rotary gravure printing presses wherein the printing is doneby intaglio engraved cylinders, and particularly .to such presses-1n which the material to be printedupon is in the form of a web which travelsthrough the press o ver the engraved cylinders. In these presses superimposed printing or impres- .sions are made upon theweb in one or a plurality of colors, and vit is necessary-tesecure and maintain proper register of the impressions both longitudinally and laterally of the web;

One object of the invention is to cause the web to travel in unison and in contact with the engraved cylinder so as to utilize the tensional pressure exerted by the web upon the cylinder as the webis conveyed through the press for making the impression or printing upon the web, and provide novel and 1mproved additional means for orcmgthe web into printing contact with said cylinder.

Other objects'are to provide novel-and improved means for directing compressed air" or like fluid against the web to force the latter into close printing contact with the printing cylinder and expel air pockets between the web and the printing cylinder; and to obtain other advantages and results as will more fully appearjfrom the Jfollowing description.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown fragmentarily and more or less schematically aweb-,fed gravure press embodying my invention, but it should be understood that this is primarily forthe purpose of illustrating the principles of .the invention and that the details of construction of the press may be modified and changed by those.

designated by the same reference characters throughout the severa-l views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the end of a gravure printing press to which the web is-initially fed, showing my bodiment of the invention, the press includes a frame comprising in general two side pieces l of any suitable construction upon which are j ournaled a plurality of engraved or printing cylinders 2 upon the-surfaces of which are engraved the design or other inscriptions to be printed upon a paper or textile web 3 which is supplied to the machine from a roll 4. This roll has trunnions 400 arranged in diagonal slots 401 in the sides of the frame so that the roll has a frictional driving contact withand -is partially supported by a guide roller 6 which cooperates with the vfirst engraved cylinder 2 so that the webis unwound from the roll by bodily rotation of the roll.l The web passes from the roll. 4 around the roller 6, then upwardly over and in contact with a considerable portion of the periphery of the engraved cylinder 2, and then downwardly around'a guide roller 7 which is preferably adjustable` for securing and Vmaintaining longitudinal register of the web. From the roller 7 the web passes'upwardly around a roller 8- which is preferably but not necessarily adjustable as in known mannerfor securing lateral register of the web. From the lateral registering roller 8 the web-is passed downwardly beneath a second guide roller 6 to the next engraved ror printing cylinder 2. I have shown only two printing' cylinders but as many of these cylinders are provided as are .necessary toproducethe desired number of superimposed impressions or printings, as isknown to those skilled'in the art. One of the lateral registering rollers 8 is arranged between each of the printing cylinders 2 to secure and maintain a predetermined and normal course of travel of the web 3 so that accurate register of the successive superimposed printings is obtained.

. as it is pu-lled from the roll where the roll is mounted as usual near the floor and at a dis'- i tance from the first impression roller.

Any. suitable means may be. provided for.

moving the web3 through the machine, but

for the purpose'of illustration I haveshown the .shaft 9 ofeach of the printing cylinders driven by belt and an electric motor 15. Y

ing cylinders 2 'are utilized to convey and con- 2 provided'with a beveled pinion 10 which.

meshes with anotherl pinion '11 on a horizontal drive shaftl A12 which is journaled in bearings 13 [onf the frame. This shaft is pulley connection 14 from With this construction the engraved printtrol movement of the web during consecutive printings, and this has the important result of reducing the tendency of the web tdtravel out of its normal course in such a way as to cause imperfect register of superimposed im'- pressions. This is largely due to the perfectly true, smooth and hard eripheries of the cylinders which have a minimum tendency to throw the web out of register, as contrasted with the soft imperfect and easily deformable peripheries of impression rollers herietofore usedv to convey and control the An ink fountain 201 for containing liquid ink is arranged beneath each of the engraved printing cylinders 2 so thatthe peripheral surface of said cylinder passes through the ink wherebythe ink is applied to the cyl- Vinder for printing.

As is known to those skilled in the art, the

' peripheral surfaces .of the printing cylinders 2 are engravedin inta-glio and the ink is .contained in small cells or recesses thus formed.

The webV 3 is maintained under considerabletension as itv isdrawn through the press, andthis tension causes the web to be drawn intotight contact with thel peripheries ofthe engraved printing cylinders. Also, as above described lthe-web contacts with the engraved cylinders for considerable portions of their d .peripheries, and this prolonged dwell or conthe capillary attraction by the web of the 'tact' of the web with the cylinders facilitates liquid ink. This absorption of the ink under many cases, the pressure of the web upon the engraved cylindercaused by the tension on the web as it is drawn through the press may.

serve to'make the printing impression on the web, although if `desired additional means for forcing the-web into contact 'with'the' cylinder such as an air jet from a nozzle 200, maybeutilizeda vastinenza d willalso: lie-observed that' the side-of the webu lon' whichthe vimpression is made contacts with theA lateral registering rollers 8.

yTo revent the ink on. the web from adhering y-to t ese rollers' or beingblurred thereon, thev :surfaces of the rollers are preferably coated with 'an amalgam'l Vof silver and mercury which repels the ink.

Any suitable yadditional means may beV utilized for securing and maintaining longitudinal register, for example by. the rolls 7 I which maybe mounted in bearing yokes 46 journaled at 47 upon the frame and carrying worm gearv segments 48 which mesh with lworms 49 `journaled on the frame and rotatable byhand Wheels 50. Rotationv of any hand rol wheel 50 will'cause corresponding vertical movement of the roller 7 so as to move the v web 3 longitudinally with respect to the next successive lateral registering roller 8.

It will be understood that the web 3 may be any 'suitable material upon which it is desired to print, for example, paper, textile fabric and the like, and either'printing ink or dyes, according to the character of the web, maybe used.

Another embodiment of my invention is `shown in Figure 2 of the drawings which illustrates a gravure printing press including a frame 16, -in which are journaled 'four printing cylinders 17, 18, 19 and 20 upon the respective shafts 21, 22, 23 and 24. These printing cyllnders are driven by gears 25 on the respective shafts which mesh with a main driving gear 26 on a shaft 27.

The web supply roll 28 is Ajournaled at 29 at the top of the frame in a manner similar to which the supply roll 4 is mounted in the Y construction shown in Figure 1, and the web 30 from the supply roll passes around a guide froller 31 and over a large portion of the periphery of adjacent printing cylinder, 18. From the printing cylinder 18 the web' passes over a -guid'ey roller 32 and thence around aconsiderable portion of the periphery of thev printing cylinder 19. From the printing cylinder 19 the web passes around a guide roller 33 adjacent the bottom of the press and then 4upwardly around the printing cylinder 2,0 from where the web passes around a guide roller 24and upwardly around the last printing cylinder 17. The web is taken from the cylinder 17 to-a similar machine, or relief printing machine, or to a folder as may be desired. The printing cylinders 17, 18, 19

and 20 are inked by any suitable inking mechanism, such as combined ink fountains and 'doctors v35 similar to that described in 307, filed July 2, 1930; and it will be observed f that lwith this construction theprinting cyltrolled by the printing cylinders themselves,

my: copending application Serial No. 465,-

L 1 of the drawings.

If desired, additional means to force the web into printing contact with the cylinders maybe employed, for example,'jets of air from nozzles 36 corresponding to the nozzles 200 of the construction shown in Figure 1. In addition, I may utilize pressure rollers 44, one of which may be arranged between each two adjacent printing cylinders.

Instead of supplying the web to the machine directly from the web supply roll 28, the machine may receive a web similar machine for printing upon one side of the web which has already been printed upon its other side by the first machine. Where this is to be done, I may utilize a traveling tympan in the form of an endless belt 37 which passes around the guide rollers 32, 33, 34, the printing cylinders and another guide roller738 so as to receive the web between the tympan and the printing cylinders and guide rollers 32, 33 and 34. The tympan thus prevents offset or blurring of the first printed side of the web as the webpasses through the press. may be maintained under tension in any sultable manner as by adjustable bearings 39 under the influence of springs 40. Obviously the pressure exerted by the tympan upon the web will assist in forcing the web into printing contact with the printing cylinders, and the tympan is driven by the printing cylinders in unison therewith. j

Preferably at the `bottom of the press adjacent the guide roller 33 is arranged a nozzle 41 connected to a suitable vacuum pump or other suction producing means by a pipe 42 for withdrawing gases from the web asthe latter passes around the roller. This vacuum also assists in drying the ink upon the web by rapidly removing the escaping volatile gases from the printed ink, which drying action may also be -facilitated by the use of air blasts from nozzles 43 which are directed against the web as it passes over the guide roller 33.

Having thus described my invention,'what I claimis: r A

1. In a web-fed printing machine,` a web supply, an intaglio engraved printing cylinder forgprinting upon said web, means for feeding said. wel) to said printing cylinder and around and in contact with a portion of the peripheral surface thereof so that'th'c web travels in unison with said cylinder,

from another p The traveling tympan means for applying ink to said cylinder, and iiuid means for forcing said web into printing contact with the cylinder.

2. In a web-fed printing machine, a web supply, a printin cylinder for printing upon said web, means or feeding said web to said printing cylinder and around and in contact with a portion of the peripheral surfalce thereof so that the web travels in unison with said cylinder, means for applying ink to said cylinder, and means for directing a jet of air under pressure against said web to force the latter into printing contact with said cylinder.

CHARLES J. MAGARTHUR.

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